It took a while, but Alex Rodriguez will finally get his 3,000th hit back.
The fan who caught it, Zack Hample, will hand over the ball to A-Rod at a press conference later today at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will then hand over $150,000 to Hample’s Pitch In For Baseball charity, which aims to give baseball equipment to those in need.
Hample, a known ball-hawk who seems to have mastered the art of catching baseballs at MLB stadiums across the country, originally said he wouldn’t give the ball back to Rodriguez. It was estimated the ball would fetch around $50,000 at auction. After numerous meetings with the Yankees brass, Hample decided to give the ball back to it’s rightful owner.
A-Rod registered the milestone hit when he smacked an opposite field solo homer off Justin Verlander in the first inning back on June 19, a game the Yankees eventually won 7-2. He became the 29th player to join the 3,000 hit club, and just the third ever to hit a home run to achieve the milestone, joining Wade Boggs and Derek Jeter.
The #Yankees are donating $150,000 to Zack Hample’s Pitch in for Baseball charity in exchange for A-Rod 3,000 ball. #wow
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 3, 2015